To make the most of this site, to read ALL the state school reviews based on visits to the schools and in-depth research, to access information about catchment areas, detailed examinations analysis and great educational advice, you need to be a logged in subscriber to the Good Schools Guide (GSG) online but see below for sample reviews. And there's more...

Subscribers to this site can read lively articles on choosing schools, schools admissions and access a host of essential help and advice, to ensure they stay top of the class.

Reading the reviews

There is a quote with each of the featured reviews but be sure to click on the school name to read The FULL Good Schools Guide write-up.

The Good Schools Guide - Can you afford not to read it?

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Jordanhill School, Glasgow a state school for boys and girls aged 5-18.

Outstanding, with an inspirational, slightly left of centre rector. Better resourced than many independent schools - and its free..

Ripon Grammar School, Ripon Grammar is a state school for boys and girls. Takes boarders.

Demand for boarding places (14 available a year) outstrips supply, especially post-GCSE. An unashamedly academic school, expemplifying much of the traditional English grammar school tradition, though certainly not an exam factory; even so, those with an IQ of lower than 120 could eventually find the pace too hot. 

Discover all the inside information including: 

• What the head is really like.
• How to get in - and where pupils go on to when they leave.
• What's really on offer; both in and out of the classroom.
• The facilities, frippery and finery to be found - or not!
• The atmosphere - who will the school REALLY suit?
• The funding you'll need and the financial health of the school.
• Our opinion - what parents think, what we've uncovered...

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Subscribers* to The Good Schools guide can examine:

• School performance data* for KS2, GCSE and A-level
• Value-added data* .Does the school make a difference to all pupils or just some?
• University information*. Details of which universities pupils go on to and what they study.
• And, for English state schools, make sure you make the right move by examining catchment area data and seeing which schools pupils come from and which schools they move on to. 

*We indicate on a school's page where data is available. We do not have data for schools outside of England nor for English independent prep schools.

State primary school, secondary school, grammar school...get the whole picture...

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GSG state school review statistics

You must be a logged in subscriber to take advantage of:

• Over 250 state schools in the good schools guide
• Approximately 230 mainstream state schools 
• 16 state schools with boarding
• More than 50 of the reviewed state schools are situated in the central London boroughs 
• More than 60 state primary schools are featured 
• More than 180 schools are senior schools an additional handful are sixth-form only colleges 

Further reading

We have a whole series of articles and advice to help you every step of the way; whether tentatively embarking on choosing a school, or part way through the school choice process.

For those new to the process:

From Embryo To Eighteen - How To Survive The Education Highway

Grammar Schools Reviewed By The Good Schools Guide

Where To Find A State Grammar School

Choosing A State Grammar Schools

Primary Schools In The UK

Secondary And Senior Schools In The UK

For those visiting schools:

School Open Evenings

Questions To Ask Staff When Visiting A School

Questions To Ask When Visiting A School - Academic Matters

Questions To Ask  When Visiting A School - Beyond the Classroom

Visiting A School - Questions For Pupils

State Boarding Schools: Free Tuition Just Pay For Your Stay

For those contemplating the admissions process:

State School Admissions - How To Secure A Place

The Catchment Area Cheat

Appealing For A School Place

Shop Online from our Bookstore

Galore Park, an independent publisher have a excellent range of books - including phonics, 11+, common entrance, scholarship, study guides, individual subjects plus verbal and non-verbal reasoning. You can order past papers for exams plus all the Galore Park textbooks from our online bookshop.

Subscribe to The Good Schools Guide (GSG) online from as little as £3.25* a month - Can you afford not to?

* Based on purchase of a £39 annual subscription. A one month 'unlimited' introductory subscription costs £9.99